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January 29, 2011

Theo: "We're More Or Less Set"

The team might make another depth move -- signing a potential starter to a minor-league contract -- but Epstein says, "right now those guys are looking for major league jobs". And like everyone else, the GM is looking forward to

the return to health of a lot of our most important players. There aren't many position battles per se, but if you look around the diamond, there are players you want to see out there healthy. ... Once we can get all those guys out there at the same time, taking infield together, that will be a pleasant sight.

Adrian Gonzalez, recovering from right shoulder surgery, began throwing a ball about ten days ago. He is expected to be playing games by mid-to-late March.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman: "Am I trying to get fired? Absolutely not. What have I done that's so explosive? What have I done that's so controversial? I did nothing improper or wrong or controversial or explosive."

Yankees president Randy Levine is annoyed at Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg. After Greenberg noted that Texas's extended talks with Cliff Lee gave the Phillies extra time to nab the free agent, Levine replied:

Chuck is delusional. He has been running the Rangers for a few minutes and seems to believe he's mastered what everyone else is thinking. ... I'll be impressed when he demonstrates he can keep the Rangers off [revenue-sharing] welfare.

From 1995-2009, Derek Jeter hit .353 with the bases loaded. Last year, however, he went 1-for-20 (with two walks and one HBP). That .050 batting average is the lowest of any Yankee dating back to at least 1955, the earliest season for which bases-loaded data exists.

Since 1920, ten players have had three games in which they doubled, tripled, and homered -- but could not get a single for the cycle:

Man, there's a lot of grumpiness in The Land of the MFY at the moment. Cashman's snippy and now Levine is snippy. I guess that means we'll get a Steinbrenner explosion in the first two months of the season. Gee, darn.